Back Ahead
by Almostgalen
Summary: Peter has lost his way. Short story, GCSE coursework. This is my first story. Please comment, feedback is valued as the work is yet to be submitted. Also please comment on how you interpreted the story, that's a personal request as I want to provide a story that can be generally interpreted in differing ways.


I was lying on the floor in a white room. No, it was too big for a room. I was confused, disoriented. The bright shine from all around drowned out the dimensions, muddling my senses. I stood easily, the lack of required effort seemed strange. I walked around and around trying to see through the light. The light, it was queer. Bright but not blinding, it made the room feel full, almost like it was hiding something. But there was nothing. I continued walking, and fell. Having grown used to the eerie emptiness of the place I'd failed to notice the bench across my path. I realised suddenly that something was truly off, I felt no pain, nothing. I felt nothing. I sat down, head spinning. Growing bored and frustrated I called out for the first time "Where am I?". And someone answered.

"Where do you think you are?"

I turned, sitting next to me was a man. Young, clean shaven with light brown skin. I jumped up, and ran a few metres away.

"It's strange the amount of names you people come up with," The man continued "I am fascinated by you Peter, what do you want to know?".

"Your voice" I stuttered, "I know your voice".

The man's voice boomed out "Of course you know my voice, I called out to you years ago, we were friends and then you left, I told you to search for me in your own world. But you didn't Peter, you failed, you ignored me. I was very disappointed."

"How did I get here?" I asked.

"Your train crashed, so now you're here, but not for long, soon one of my Father's servants will come get you, to take you away. I offer you one more chance for salvation, walk away now, back the way you came."

"Thank you. Thank you".

"Time will have passed. This is your last chance. Return to you world, it will have changed, search for me there. In time I hope we'll meet again, go now Peter."

"Goodbye"

I walked away quickly. The light enveloped me once more, and suddenly passed into darkness.

"Ouch!"

The first thing I felt was my head slamming into the seat in front of me. I was on a bus, though not one like I'd ever seen before. "Off! Last Stop! Everyone off now!" I sat stunned, confused and disoriented by my surroundings. It was dark outside the bus, but there were bright electric lights on the roof lighting up the inside. "Did you not hear me boy! Off the bus! Now!" The driver had grabbed my neck and threw me violently out the door, out onto the hard concrete pavement. "Blasted idiot" I heard him mutter as he walked away. Slowly and painfully I picked myself up and waited while my eyes got used to the darkness. I was at bus stop, next to a graffitied and vandalised telephone booth.

I wandered around the bus stop. Across the road there was some sort of shop, but not like any I'd seen before. "Spar?" I read out loud to myself. The front of the shop seemed cheap, tacky and simplistic. There was an adjoining contraption of some sort, up to which people were driving the automobiles and refuelling them. I wondered up to the shop hungry, tired and confused, stumbling inside like a drunkard. I went up to the cashier, a great burly fellow, and asked respectfully "Good evening sir, may I ask where this is?". The man turned his head to me with a sense of apprehension "We are in the middle of no-where, Somerset" he replied, "But there's a small village about 5 miles up the road, Stoke on Trent".

"And may I ask what year it is" I continued, cautiously. "The year? Go home, you're drunk!" He shouted. I backed off quickly and consulted one of the newspapers on the wall. It was 2016, March 16th 2016. 60 years since his fatal train crash. Wherever I'd been, time had passed differently there.

I wandered out of the road-side shop and over the road, dodging a speeding driver who gestured rudely at me as he passed. As I reached the bus stop I collapsed, my hunger, shock, confusion hitting me, like a massive boulder falling on my shoulders. I wept, and then I passed out.

I awoke to someone shaking me. I sat up frantically, accidentally head butting my helper in the process. "Ouch! What did'ya do that for?" He cried.

"Sorry, who are you?" I called out, seeing stars.

"I'm Saul, I've been sent to give you a hand, and there was no call to go smacking me like you did, lie back down you're still dazed after your trip. You arrived on the bus, like the rest I expect?" "

Yes, how do you know about that.. Others… what's going on, who sent you?"

Who do you think? Him, the same one who sent you, of course!"

My vision was clearing and Ben swam into view, he was a short stocky young man with curly brown hair and a friendly expression.

"You said others, there are other people, who have been sent back. After failing?

"Of course there's others, on rare occasions he'll send people back, to have a second chance, like you and me. Now follow me, let's go meet the others."

"But why me? Why would he pick me to send back?"

"Because he cares, why else? He always cares. Now let's go!"

Author's Note: Thanks to Wildhorses1492 for the fantastic review, it's been really helpful and I've made a few changes you suggested. I'll also take heed of you more significant suggestions next time I write.


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